Issue link: http://endeavor.uberflip.com/i/1062008
A.J. Nahmad joined Watsco in 2005 and served as the Director of Global Business Development and as Vice President of Strategy & Innovation until his election as President in 2016. He has also been a member of Watsco's Board of Directors since November 2011. A.J. leads the company's mission to enhance profits via strategic technology initiatives and technology-enabled new ventures. Among those projects are investments in data analytics, mobile applications and a world- class e-commerce platform. This technology focus is the engine of Watsco's next wave of growth. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.B.A. from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. What is the best advice you would give to a company looking to scale? Hire great people that equal your passion, delegate authority and responsibility to them, and compensate them richly for long term success. What is the relationship between company culture and business success? Maybe you could have success without great culture, but why would you want to? We often spend more time with our co-workers than we do with our families. Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you and that you enjoy spending time with; then promote a culture of a "competition of ideas" where it's the best idea that wins, not the idea of the highest-ranking person or person with the biggest ego. As you scale, you must put the company on the "shoulders" of your culture, meaning you won't be able to speak to everyone directly every day, but if your culture is undeniable and ingrained in your peoples' souls, you won't have to. What have you enjoyed the most throughout your time as a Board Member? Without a doubt, what I love most about my time with Endeavor is hearing the entrepreneurs' stories. I'm personally inspired when learning where these folks drew their inspiration from and how they are pursuing their passions. P R E S I D E N T O F W A T S C O , I N C . AJ NAHMAD F I F T H A N N I V E R S A R Y E D I T I O N P A G E 7 2 BOARD SPOTLIGHT